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Lü Fan 呂範
Lü Fan 呂範 joined Sun Ce 孫策 at the start of his career and went on to help build the state of Wu. Biography When younger, he was appointed a county official. There was a woman from the Liu (劉) clan who was both beautiful and from a wealthy family, and Lü Fan begged her father for her hand in marriage. The woman's mother disliked him and refused to give her blessing for the union, but the woman's father said: :"Look at Lü Fan. Do you really think he will remain poor forever?" Forthwith, Lü Fan married the woman. Service to Sun Ce With the disorder in the Central Plains, Lü Fan headed south to Shouchun (壽春) to seek refuge from the chaos. In 194 A.D., Sun Ce 孫策 had returned to Shouchun to join Yuan Shu 袁術, it was there that they met. Sun Ce was impressed by Fan and the pair became quite close, so Fan brought 100 of his personal dependents and joined Sun Ce. At this time, Sun Ce's mother was in Jiangdu (江都) in Xu province but he wanted to entrust her to her brother, Wu Jing 吳景, who was in Qu'a (曲阿)Governor of Xu province Tao Qian was supposedly intensely envious of Sun Ce, according to Sun Ce's SGZ, so he wanted his mother brought south.; Sun Ce, Lü Fan and Sun He 孫河 then headed into Xu to get Lady Wu.SGZ: Biography of Sun Ce. While in Xu, Governor of Xu province Tao Qian 陶謙 accused Lü Fan of being a spy for the Yuan clan and ordered he be seized and examined of these claims. Fan's retainers were valiant fighters and they managed to free him from his captors. Fan then returned to the territory south of the Yangzi. While in the south, Lü Fan, Sun Ce and Sun He fought for Wu Jing against the mountain bandits of Jing (涇) county; they defeated the bandit leader Zu Lang 祖郎, who fled.SGZ: Biography of Lady Wu, Wife of Sun Jian. Fan and Sun He would often follow Sun Ce around, regardless of difficulty or danger, and Sun Ce would treat them as intimate relatives; every feast that was held, they would be served even before Lady Wu. Sun Ce's Campaigns Lü Fan then followed Sun Ce back west in the attack on Grand Administrator of Lujiang (廬江) Lu Kang 陸康, before returning east across the Yangzi to battle Liu Yao 劉繇. Fan fought at Hengjiang (橫江) and Dangli (當利) against Yao's generals Zhang Ying 張英 and Yu Mi 于麋 and captured Lesser Danyang (小丹楊) and Hushu (湖孰) cities, for which Fan was appointed Chancellor of Hushu. Sun Ce managed to reclaim Moling (秣陵) and Qu'a, and captured the scattered soldiers of Ze Rong 笮融 and Yao. Fan's command was increased by 2,000 soldiers and 50 horses. Fan was then appointed Magistrate of Wanling (宛陵) county; and defeated the bandits of Danyang (丹楊). Sun Ce had recently acquired a large number of formerly enemy troops, so when he was alone with Lü Fan playing a game of chess, Lü Fan said: :"General, at present, your undertaking grows larger by the day and the abundance of soldiers grows daily. When I was far away, I heard that you still had not elected a person to instill discipline. I request that I fill the position of Chief Controller so that I can assist you, General." But Sun Ce replied: :"Fan, you are already a great scholar, have a great host of subordinates and have established your merits afar, how could I possible assign you to such a meagre post? If the army heard of this, they would fall to pieces!" To which Lü Fan replied: :"Not so. At present, I had abandoned my homeland and rely on you, General. I have not done these things for my wife and son, but because I desire to do my utmost to bring succour to the world. It's like men in the same boat: if one thing goes wrong, we shall all drown. So it is just as much interest to me as it is to you!"de Crespigny. Generals of the South, Chapter 3SGZ: Accounts from South of the Yangzi quoted in the Biography of Lü Fan. Sun Ce laughed, but did not give his assent, so Lü Fan got up and left. Fan donned his uniform, grabbed his whip and started going about announcing himself as the Chief Controller. In the end, Sun Ce conceded and Lü Fan was sent to Wu commandery and appointed Chief Controller. Soon the army was orderly, harmonious and regulations were adhered to.SGZ: Accounts from South of the Yangzi quoted in the Biography of Lü Fan. By 197 A.D., Chen Yu 陳瑀 was appointed Grand Administrator of Wu by Yuan ShuLü Fan's SGZ says he named himself that, but the excerpts from Chronicles of the Nine Provines and the biography of Chen Yu from Records of Heroes and Champions both say Chen Yu was appointed by Yuan Shu in 192 A.D., not that Shu had any authority to appoint Yu as Administrator. However, after Yuan Shu was defeated by Cao Cao, he went to Yu for aid and Yu turned on him. After the split, Yu may have reasserted that he was Administrator. and had stationed himself at Haixi (海西)Because Wu was controlled by Sun Ce, Chen Yu chose not to risk entering Wu commandery and remain in Guangling commandery to the north.. Yu secretly planned on attacking Sun Ce, so he had also entered into communication with bandits of Danyang commandery, strong clan leaders, Zu Lang 祖郎, Jiao Yi 焦已 et al., in various counties of Wu along with the mountain bandit White Tiger Yan 嚴白虎. Yu's allies secretly spied on Sun Ce's movements waiting until he marched with his forces in order to seize the commandery.SGZ: Accounts from South of the Yangzi quoted in the Biography of Sun Ce. Sun Ce became aware of the threat and as he went to punish Yan, Lü Fan and Xu Yi 徐逸 were dispatched to deal with Chen Yu at Haixi. Yu was badly defeated, his best general Chen Mu 陳牧 was killed, and 4,000 of his officials and scholars were captured, along with their wives and children; Yu himself fled to his hometown Xiapi (下邳).SGZ: Accounts from South of the Yangzi quoted in the Biography of Sun Ce. Lü Fan then follow Sun Ce in the attack on Zu Lang at Lingyang (陵陽) and the defeat of Taishi Ci 太史慈 at Yongli (勇里). With the seven counties pacified, Fan was promoted to Acting General of the Gentlemen of the Household Who Subdues the Caitiffs and Designated Grand Administrator of Guiyang (桂陽).SGZ: Records of Wu quoted in the SGZ Biography of Sun Ce.The Grand Administrator of Guiyang is not mentioned in Fan's SGZ, but Sun Ce memorialises the court and refers to Fan by that title. In 200 A.D., Sun Ce died and Lü Fan hastened back to Wu to attend the funeral. Service to Sun Quan In Sun Ce's time, he had charged Lü Fan with managing the finances. When Sun Quan 孫權 was younger, he would request funds for personal use, but Fan would always inform Sun Ce and refuse to allocate the funds. Later, in 196 A.D. when Sun Quan was Chief of Yangxian (陽羨), he would privately take funds for himself. Sun Ce would sometimes inquire about expenses, but Officer of Merit Zhou Gu 周谷 would doctor the books so that it went undiscovered. At the time Sun Quan was delighted by this, however, when Sun Quan took over from his brother, he employed Fan because of his faithfulness and adherence to the rules and did not use Gu because he was willing to alter the records. In 203 A.D., Sun Quan attacked Huang Zu 黃祖 in Jiangxia (江夏). Despite the success, an uprising of bandits back east forced Sun Quan to withdraw. The various generals were disseminated to subdue all the bandits at once, Lü Fan was sent to Poyang (鄱陽). When Sun Quan attacked Huang Zu again in 207 A.D., Fan, along with Zhang Zhao 張昭, remained behind to defend the territorySGZ: Biography of Sun Quan.The SGZ of Lü Fan has him attacking Jiangxia under Sun Ce too then returning to pacify Poyang. It then says after Sun Ce died, that Sun Quan launched a secondary attack where Fan remained behind. Sun Quan's SGZ says after the attack in 203 A.D., Fan pacified Poyang. I think the first instance where he fought under Sun Ce should be a reference to the 203 attack under Sun Quan (though Fan may well also have joined Sun Ce when he attacked Huang Zu in his time).. And in 208 A.D., Fan fought with the Wu forces against Cao Cao 曹操 at Chibi (赤壁). He was promoted to Major-General, appointed Grand Administrator of Pengze (彭澤), and given a fief of Pengze, Chaisang (柴桑) and Liyang (歷陽). In 210 A.D.Date is approximate, it occurs after Liu Bei set up in Gong'an in 209 A.D. (which probably occurred late in the year) and prior to Liu Bei's invasion of the west in 211 A.D., Liu Bei 劉備 visited the capital of the Wu state to meet with Sun Quan as a result of the marital alliance with Lady Sun and to discuss control of Jing province.SGZ: Biography of Liu Bei. Lü Fan and Zhou Yu 周瑜 both urged Sun Quan to detain Liu Bei in Wu to prevent future trouble, Lu Su 魯肅 advised against it so Sun Quan would not heed them.SGZ: Biography of Zhou Yu.SGZ: Chronicles of Han and Jin quoted in the SGZ Biography of Lu Su. Later, in 219 A.D., when Sun Quan went to punish Guan Yu 關羽, he passed by Fan's residence and said to him: :"Earlier had I followed your words, we would not be in the trouble we are in now. Now, while I got upstream to take Guan Yu, you shall remain to defend Jianye." Sun Quan defeated Guan Yu then returned. Sun Quan then shifted the capital to Wuchang (武昌), promoted Fan to General Who Establishes Awe, enfeoffed him as Marquis of Wanling (宛陵), appointed him Grand Administrator of Danyang, governing at Jianye (建業) with authority from Fuzhou (扶州) down to the sea. His fief was also changed to Liyang, Huai’an (懷安) and Ningguo (寧國). Battle on Dong River In the 9th month of 222 A.D., Emperor Cao Pi 曹丕 invaded Wu on three fronts. Cao Xiu 曹休 commanded over 20 armies led by experienced generals such as Zhang Liao 張遼 and Zang Ba 臧霸 and brought the Wei forces to the mouth of Dong river (洞口) in Guangling (廣陵).SGZ: Biography of Cao Xiu. Sun Quan dispatched Lü Fan to command five armies to hold the southern shore and resist the Wei forces.SGZ: Biography of Sun Quan. In the 11th month, there was a terrible storm during the night and the Wu fleet was dashed against the northern shore, right into the arms of the waiting Wei forces. Wei officer Wang Ling 王淩 and the other generals quickly struck the vulnerable Wu forces, seizing many captives and beheading others as well as capturing their boats.SGZ: Biography of Wang Ling. Several 1,000 soldiers either drowned or were killed in the disaster and the remnants did their best to return to the southern shores. Zang Ba then led 10,000 troops in a counter-offensive but he was unable to overcome Wu Generals Quan Cong 全琮 and Xu Sheng 徐盛 and the Wei forces were defeated.SGZ: Biography of Sun Quan.There's also an edict recording these events in Wei shu quoted in Cao Pi's SGZ, but it does read a little like propaganda so I doubt it's credibility can be trusted. The Wei shu account says 40,000 soldiers were beheaded and 10,000 boats were captured after the storm. It also says that Cao Ren performed well at Ruxu, which is false. Despite the loss, Lü Fan was appointed Governor of Yang province. Death In 228 A.D., Lü Fan was promoted to Grand Marshal. But, in the 8th monthSGZ: Biography of Sun Quan., before the official seal had been bestowed upon him, he died of illness. Sun Quan wore white clothes in mourning and dispatched envoys to posthumously confer the seal anyway. When the capital was transferred back to Jianye, Sun Quan visited Fan's tomb and cried out to him then offered a sacrifice. When Sun Quan moved the capital to Jianye, he had a great assembly of his civil and military personnel. At that time he spoke to Yan Jun 嚴畯, saying:SGZ: Accounts from South of the Yangzi quoted in the Biography of Lü Fan. :"When I spoke of comparing Lu Su 魯肅 to Deng YuA high minister in the Latter Han dynasty in service to Liu Xiu (Emperor Guangwu). Deng Yu joined Liu Xiu when the latter was ousted by the usurper Wang Mang. and Lü Fan to Wu HanWas a servant to Liu Xiu (Emperor Guangwu). He was sent by Liu Xiu to kill Liu Xuan's minister Xie Gong., you alone sighed, were you in disagreement with me, what have you to say?" Yan Jun was leaving, but then returned to his seat and said: :"Your servant did not comprehend your reasoning, and say that Su and Fan received generous rewards, that praise exceeded reality." Sun Quan then said: :"In former times, Deng Yu joined Emperor Guangwu early in his career, at that time Emperor Guangwu was still submissive to Emperor GengshiLiu Xuan was the founder of the Latter Han dynasty after he disposed of the usurper Wang Mang. Liu Xuan was soon overthrown by Liu Xiu.; Emperor Guangwu was sent to comfort the lands north of the Yellow river serving as Acting Grand Marshal, but that was all; he had no aspirations of becoming an Emperor or King. Yu urged him to continue the Han dynasty, and it was because Yu started that line of discussion that Guangwu ended up as Emperor." :"Lu Su was an outstanding person, plain-speaking and a remarkable strategist. When I first spoke with him, we discussed of great plans; there was a resemblance with Deng Yu, so I compared the two. Lü Fan was loyal, trustworthy, intelligent and upright; although he had an extravagant nature. However, because his first priority was always to the state, it was not enough to damage his character. He shunned Yuan Shu in order to join my brother; but when my brother appointed him a great general, with his own separate command, Fan was more concerned of my brother's affairs, and begged to be appointed Chief Controller. He managed the army and instilled discipline, added to that, he was diligent and respectful. He was cut from the same cloth as Wu Han, thus I compared them."SGZ: Accounts from South of the Yangzi quoted in the Biography of Lü Fan. So Yan Jun conceded the point. Lü Fan was of a friendly nature and majestic appearance, and those from his province, such as Lu Xun 陸遜 and Quan Cong, were all respectful and reverent of him, and would not speak lightly of him. Fan was rather extravagant and wore fine clothing and adornments, in spite of his personal behaviour however, Fan worked diligently and respected the law; because of this, Sun Quan considered him loyal and did not reproach him on his extravagance. At one time, people said that the decadent behaviour of Lü Fan and He Qi 賀齊, that they wore gaudy silk raiment, meant they were usurping royal prerogatives. But Sun Quan said:SGZ: Accounts from South of the Yangzi quoted in the Biography of Lü Fan. :"In former times, Guan Zhong behaved decadently; Duke Huan of Qi thought him an outstanding person and so tolerated him, and there was no harm to his hegemony thenGuan Zhong was a counsellor in the state of Qi, serving Duke Huan. Zhong had a luxurious lifestyle, but was still an honoured servant. Duke Huan enjoyed hunting and women, and he asked Zhong whether these things would impair his ability to rule. Zhong thought the only real threat came from inability to properly use talent and improper assignment of positions.. Now, Fan and Qi have exquisite equipment, and a complement of boats and carriages, but these are merely things appropriate for military appearances, how could these things cause harm to their ability to govern?"SGZ: Accounts from South of the Yangzi quoted in the Biography of Lü Fan. And so the matter was dropped. Family Wife * Lady Liu - Wealthy and beautiful. Her mother did not approve of the marriage, but her father felt Lü Fan would eventually become successful. Notes Fact vs. Fiction Historically… References Sources Category:Wu Personages Category:Wu